How to use a grinder to make a circular saw

Advantages of a homemade tool

On the farm, very often there is a need to cut boards, chipboard, fiberboard, plywood and other similar materials. It is most convenient to perform such manipulations using a stationary machine, which is popularly called a circular machine. You can even cut firewood on such a machine, so you don’t have to think long about the rationality of its manufacture.

An angle grinder or grinder has gained wide popularity as it is a universal tool for cutting metal, stone, concrete, plastic and even wood. However, wood processing requires not only special skills, but also caution. After all, it is when processing wood that an effect such as a reverse blow occurs. That is why experts recommend using the tool only as a circular saw, which eliminates the possibility of a kickback and also increases the efficiency of using power tools.

Making a stationary machine from a grinder for sawing wood has a number of advantages:

Savings on the purchase of a stationary machine, which consists of a frame and a powerful electric motor. The cost of such a machine is at least 10 thousand rubles, while a grinder can be used to make a circular saw without additional investment
Ease of manufacture - to create a machine you only need a power tool and a base, which can be made from a wooden workbench or boards
High efficiency - the angle grinder develops a rotation speed of over 9000 rpm, which has a positive effect on the speed and quality of sawing material
The ability to use an angle grinder at any time by removing it from the machine

If you came to the site, then you are probably wondering about the purpose of making a homemade circular saw from an angle grinder. There is no doubt about the rationality of such an idea, but we will find out later how to make a stationary machine for sawing wood.

The advantage of a homemade circular saw

A circular saw has a list of advantages:

There is no need to spend a lot of money on purchasing an industrial stationary machine. High-quality professionally assembled equipment can put a significant dent in your budget. The Bulgarian is much cheaper.
Converting an angle grinder (angle grinder) into a circular grinder is quite easy. It is necessary to use only ready-made electrical equipment and make a base - these are the main works.
The grinder is a device with high productivity, since the number of revolutions of its disk can be nine thousand rotations per minute. This is enough to cut most raw materials efficiently.
If you dismantle the angle grinder from the machine, then it can be used again for its intended purpose.

It is highly not recommended to constantly remove the grinder from the table, in particular when the machine is made of wood. This will certainly provoke loosening of the components of the structure.

What you will need to convert an angle grinder into a circular saw

The principle of manufacturing a stationary machine for sawing wood from an angle grinder is that the power tool must be rigidly fixed, securing it to the base of a table or workbench. Implementing this will not be difficult, but for this you will need the following tools and consumables (depending on the scheme):

Angle grinder or grinder. Moreover, for this it is recommended to take a powerful power tool, since the capabilities of a stationary machine will depend on this parameter. If you use a small grinder, then you can only saw thin materials with it, so this should be taken into account at the stage of manufacturing the device
Drill - needed to make holes that will be used to fix the brackets holding the power tool
Welding machine for joining metal plates
Chipboards
Clamps and fastening connections

You need to install a special disk for cutting wood on the grinder. It will not work to use a disk from a circular saw on an angle grinder, since it will not fit the outer and inner diameters. The disk installed on the grinder for cutting wood must correspond to the diameter of the mounting hole. In addition, the outer diameter must have protrusions - teeth, the number of which directly depends on the tool itself.

There will be no difficulties in choosing a suitable disc for an angle grinder, since they are sold for the corresponding models of angle grinders. In addition to an angle grinder with a circle for cutting wood, you will also need to prepare a table on which the power tool will be fixed. Even a frame or workbench is suitable as such a table, the main requirement for which is stability.

This is interesting!
An angle grinder creates vibrations during operation, so to increase safety, the base or bed must be highly stable.
If you have a ready-made table, then you only need to attach a power tool to it. If there is no table, then you can make one from available materials. You can use boards or fiberboard as a tabletop. The tabletop also acts as a stop.

To ensure the immobility of the power tool, it is necessary to make an appropriate fastening using bars, boards or metal plates. The bracket for an angle grinder can be movable or fixed, which affects the quality of use of the tool. The movable mount allows you to adjust the size of the cutting wheel. If the bracket is stationary, then it will not be possible to adjust the cutting depth. As clamps, you can use clamps, metal plates and other materials that securely and effectively secure the angle grinder to the base.

After the grinder is installed on the base, the only remaining action is to check the operation of the homemade tool in action. To do this, a short-term test run is performed, which identifies all the defects and shortcomings of the design. If there are none, then you can perform a test cut of wood.

Design features

You can carry out work on modifying one type of electric saw into another using old elements that cannot be repaired. Having plumbing skills and a certain ingenuity, you can cope with such a task without much effort. Distinctive features of this type of device are that there are circular saws based on a grinder, which are used as a hand-held device or a homemade machine that is mounted on a table or any other stable base.

Please note that if you have an old grinder, then it is best to remove its electric motor from it and use it as the core for a future circular saw, and even a motor from a washing machine will do.

Each circular has several main components:

Saw stand.
A homemade table as a stable frame.
Sliding stop.
Motor from an angle grinder.
Bar for adjusting cutting height
Gearbox and saw blade.

This machine is suitable for sawing small pieces of wood. When you plan to process wood in large quantities and in huge sizes, then it is worth buying ready-made production equipment. Although its cost is high, such a purchase will be the optimal solution for business. To perform safe work on a circular saw, you should carefully select the blades for it. An angle grinder is a rather complex tool, and its discs cannot be used for sawing wood products. The problem is that it can jam at any moment.

When rotated at high speed, this element can crush wood into splinters, which can cause injury. This is due to the fact that during processing the disk will be subjected to a large load in the form of high temperature. The best option would be to purchase a new product specifically for a circular saw.

If you fix the circular saw on the floor surface, the frame will need to be fixed with fasteners (that is, corners) to ensure good stability. To create a frame (base), you can take a cabinet you don’t need or even a couple of sheets of chipboard. But it is much more reliable to make a base made of metal. The main part of the working surface is best made of laminated chipboard or plywood. The table must be firmly standing so that vibration is insignificant.

You should install a disk of a smaller diameter on the saw than the one you used for the angle grinder - this will prevent the electric motor from overheating. You can buy it at an auto parts store, or at a special construction market. The power of the electric motor of the angle grinder from which the circular saw will be made should not be less than 1.6 kW. But a more complex option will involve the installation of additional elements - a pulley system, a belt drive. With this method of manufacturing a hand-held circular saw from a grinder, the design will take on the appearance of a production machine. The presence of belts will make it possible to reduce the speed of disk rotation.

How to quickly and easily make a circular saw from an angle grinder

It should be noted right away that there are many options for making a homemade circular saw from an angle grinder, and it all depends on the imagination of the master, as well as the availability of consumables. Initially, we will consider the simplest option for making a circular, using a sheet of chipboard and other consumables. The principle of making such a circular is as follows:

Take a sheet of chipboard measuring 1x2 m, to which the legs are attached. The result is a table to which you need to attach the grinder. The tool must be fastened exclusively from below
A bracket is made to secure the power tool. For this purpose, metal plates with a thickness of more than 1 mm are used.
The plates are attached to the tabletop using threaded connections
To be able to adjust the cutting depth, the bracket should be made of a movable type. To do this, the movable and fixed parts of the bracket should be connected using a bolt with nuts
To fix the tool in the appropriate position, you will need to make an additional bracket. It is based on a long bolt or pin. The nuts on the stud will ensure the fixation of the angle grinder in the appropriate position, and the sleeve welded to the movable bracket is responsible for the connection
It is necessary to make a slot in the tabletop through which the saw wheel will protrude. For this, a drill with a drill is used. You need to make holes along the edges of the future slot, and then straight-line sawing along them with thin blades
Additionally, a stop for the table top is also made, due to which the sawed workpieces are aligned

As a result, we get a stationary machine for sawing wood, made with our own hands at home. Now, knowing how to make a circular grinder from an angle grinder, you can get down to business. Video instructions for making a homemade machine are presented below.

Manufacturing details

Materials and accessories

To complete the work, you will need tools, as well as building materials or pieces of parts from parts to assemble pieces of furniture.

You will need the following:

Screwdriver, pliers, hammer and adjustable wrenches.
Metal sheet, bolts, angles, screws, fasteners.
Screwdriver, ruler.
Electric drill and grinder, socket and switch.

Next, we’ll look at how to make this device with your own hands.

Step-by-step manufacturing instructions

The process of creating a circular saw from an angle grinder with your own hands will include several stages at once.

Stages:

First you need to make a base table.
Install the angle grinder and disc directly.
Attach the bar to create a stop.
Supply electricity.
Carry out a startup to check the functioning of the device.

Please note that the main elements for both the miniature sample and the stationary version of the circular hand saw will be the frame table. It can be made according to the drawings, or you can make it to your liking and at the same time observe the basic principles of this part of the saw. Everything will depend on the size of the wood material that you plan to saw in the future. We will talk about how to modify an angle grinder into a small circular saw. With its help, you can cut bars, small boards, and slats that are used for repair work or for private households.

Crafting table

The table will be made in the form of a workbench, and its base is most often made of lumber:

To begin with, take sheets of chipboard, and then put together a small table from them, and its legs should be made at such a height that an angle grinder can fit under the bed. Attach them to the stiffeners, and they, in turn, should be made of small boards and attached along the edge of the tabletop at a distance of 7 to 10 cm from the bottom using self-tapping screws.
But the upper part of the working surface is best made of laminated plywood. When the frame (countertops) is ready, it can be turned upside down and marked for installation of the grinder and saw blade. You should take the element from the grinder as a basis, and use it to take measurements for the slots for the new disk. Mark the slots at its ends with a regular pencil, and then arm yourself with a drill and drill out the formed points.
Next, using a regular ruler, you should connect the edges of the resulting holes and draw two parallel lines along their width. Part of the frame inside such lines should be cut out using a grinder. The slot for the disk will be ready.
After this, you need to buy a new disk at a hardware store, and the best option would be to purchase samples for working on wood measuring 12.5 cm with carbide teeth - there can be from 24 to 48 pieces.
Under the working surface of the table, screw a bar to which the angle grinder will be attached with clamps. You can fix it using clamps you made yourself, as well as tightening the nut. At the same time, you need to install the disk itself in the table (in the cut hole). It should be positioned in such a way that most of it is located on the surface. It is advisable that a protective visor is also attached. It is sold in all construction stores, which makes it possible to fold down the visor.
To make a hand-held circular saw from a grinder, you will need to make a stop bar from a metal corner or a piece of plastic from a strictly baseboard. It can be mounted on chipboard or plywood. The length of such a bar must be the same as the working surface of the table. Screw the bar (that is, the stop) at a distance of no less than 2 cm from the teeth of the saw blade. You need to make a couple of holes at the ends of the rail and fix it in the table using the simplest screws or bolts.
The timber or board being processed must be completely placed on the frame, because when the disk moves at high speed, the lumber will be subject to vibration. It will not be possible to hold lumber suspended, as there is a high probability of serious injury.
And almost the last action, or rather the stage of work, will be to create an electrical socket on the inside of the miniature table, through which the wire will be run and then the switch will be installed. Usually it is fixed from the outside of one of the stiffeners. The wire from the switch will be directed to the power source - this will supply electricity to the circular saw.

When the saw is ready, you should make a test run and cut small bars, and also pay attention to the speed at which the disk rotates. This completes the creation of the tool. Home craftsmen, in order not to make a special table for a circular saw, use a vice as a supporting frame. At the very beginning, you should clamp the angle grinder on the edge of the simplest table, remove the protection and unscrew the handle from the grinder. Next, you can take chipboard or plywood to form a base in which a hole will be made for the disk. Attach everything by drilling a hole, and then insert the bolt. It should match the hole on the grinder where the handle will be attached. The bolt should be tightened until it stops using a special wrench.

From available devices you should make a stop bar or even a limiter. Attach the resulting element with bolts to the ends of the frame using ordinary self-tapping screws. The weight can cause the angle grinder to lean forward and catch the tabletop with the disc. In this case, you will need a pen. It can be unscrewed from an old seaming wrench and screwed into an angle grinder, making a support for the electric motor. This miniature, home-made structure works accurately and also performs high-quality sawing of beams and slats.

Manual circular grinder

When making a homemade machine, you need to take into account that they can be stationary and portable. The angle grinder is not large in size, so there are no difficulties with its transportation. However, if it is necessary to transport a homemade circular saw, then this can only be done if it is portable. If a metal or wooden workbench is used as a basis, then transporting the tool will be quite difficult. This factor must be taken into account at the design stage of the circular saw. Before you start work, you need to prepare drawings that will help you understand what exactly needs to be constructed.

So that the tool can be transported, it is recommended to make a mini-circular from a grinder. The principle of its manufacture is simple, and consists of the following steps:

A sheet of metal 1-2 mm thick is prepared, which will be used as a base. Sheet size 80x80 cm
A bracket of metal plates is welded on the back side of the sheet, which will serve as the basis for installing the power tool.
You need to make a slot in the steel sheet for the protrusion of the cutting disc
Attach the grinder and test it in action

The principle of manufacturing a machine for sawing wood is simple, and everyone can cope with the task of arranging a circular saw from an angle grinder. There are a large number of options for making homemade products, and which one to choose depends on the preferences of the master, as well as the work that is planned to be performed.

DIY circular saw: the easiest way to make it

In order to start assembling a homemade product, you will need:

metal clamps;
electric drill;
toothed disc;
several pieces of metal corner;
bolt ties modifications M3 or M5;
working gearbox;
rods made of high-strength steel;
wrench.

The power base of the future design will be the engine from a household grinder.

Work progress step by step

the previously installed disk is first removed from the grinder;
Take a disk with teeth for woodworking, which is tightened with corners. A gap of several millimeters is left, which is adjusted using a bolt tie;
The body of the grinder - the future electric saw - is covered with clamps. A double metal strip with a thickness of at least 1.5 mm is passed through the bottom of the tool;
The grinder gearbox is pre-disassembled. You need to make holes in it to attach the handle. The last part can be made of a metal tube, the shape of which should be slightly rounded;
to adjust the gaps between the side stop and the base surface, 4 holes are drilled in the gearbox for screwing in bolts;
The handle is bolted to the gearbox. Its end protruding outside the electric saw is given a horizontal position, holes are drilled and the axis is fed. If the handle is D-shaped, an adapter is installed between the handle and the gearbox - a tube made of thick-walled metal;
the rods are cut into 6 cm pieces, which are given a loop shape;
washers are fixed in front of the stop, thereby correcting the gap;
the handle is connected to the body with an electric motor.

By supplementing such an electric saw from a grinder with your own hands with a stationary base made of chipboard or stable plywood, you can make a stationary circular electric saw for a workbench or desktop.

In both options, it is very important not to make a mistake with the choice of disk and to correctly calculate the gear ratio. It is advisable to focus on single-phase asynchronous motors, which are equipped with most angle grinders. Three-phase motor systems, which can also take place in a similar design, should not be used without additional capacitors. A separate button can be used as a starting capacitor. In this option, you will need to consider additional grounding and check the electrical safety of the homemade product.

Which grinder should I use to make a circular saw?

There are no special comments here, since you can use both low-power and powerful angle grinders, which differ in size, weight and diameter of saw wheels. The greater the power and size of the blade, the higher the efficiency and productivity of the sawing machine. If you use a small and low-power angle grinder, then in the end you can use the machine exclusively for cutting chipboard, thin boards and plywood.

If a household tool is used as a drive mechanism on a sawing machine, then the features of its temporary operation must be taken into account. If a household grinder overheats, the motor will quickly fail. When planning to frequently use a sawmill for wood, it is necessary to purchase an appropriately powerful power tool.

How to choose a grinder to create a circular saw

Any professional equipment can be used. However, it is worth noting that the more powerful the grinder, the more productive the sawing unit will be. If you use angle grinders with low power, then the future structure will only be able to work with chipboard and any thin sheets.

The only thing that is important to pay attention to is the characteristics of the short-term operation of the unit. If the design becomes hot, the engine will soon become unusable.

If there is a need to systematically use the structure, you need to purchase an angle grinder of suitable power (at least 1600 W).

How to make a power button for a circular saw

After making a stationary machine, you will need to perform one more modification - this is a push-button station. It is necessary to make a button to turn the saw on and off, as this will allow you to quickly interrupt the operation of the tool at the right time. In addition, it is almost impossible to operate a stationary circular saw by pressing a button on the body of a power tool, so you need to take care of installing a push-button station at the design or completion stage.

To make a power button, you will need to remove the wires from the body of the instrument and connect them to the switch located in the structure of the manufactured base. If you do not plan to use the grinder on the machine, then you can use a simpler method - fix the button in the pressed position using a clamp, and turn on the tool by connecting the plug to the socket.

Machine with pendulum engine suspension

Those who can boast of the ability to work with metal can be advised to make a circular saw with a pendulum engine suspension. The main feature of the device is that the motor, shaft and cutting disc are installed in one common frame. On one side it is hinged to the frame, the second is held in place by a screw with the ability to adjust the height. By changing the length of the screw, you can adjust the height of the disk exiting the tabletop.

This system allows you to adjust the cutting height, as well as use discs of different diameters. If, instead of an adjusting screw, you use a probe placed on the tabletop, you can get a simple copying machine. The feeler gauge will allow you to adjust the cutting depth according to a certain pattern. This fairly simple modification will turn a simple circular saw into a real woodworking machine. With this device you can not only cut the board into the necessary pieces, but also make precise cuts and make various selections.

How to work correctly and tips for use

Using an angle grinder as a circular saw does not at all make this tool safer, which is why work must be carried out strictly in protective clothing and safety precautions must be observed. When working on a homemade circular saw, you need to consider the following recommendations:

Work should begin only after the tool reaches the operating spindle speed
The duration of continuous operation should not be more than 15-20 minutes to prevent the motor from overheating
The grinder should only be used with a protective cover, even though its main part is located under the tabletop
If the spindle speed of a power tool is higher than 10,000 rpm, then this speed will cause wood smoke in the cutting line, and as a result, damage to the appearance and even fire. To eliminate the occurrence of such a drawback, the spindle rotation speed must be reduced using a special voltage reduction device. Reducing the voltage, the number of revolutions drops
If during the sawing process there is a decrease in speed or a complete stop of the cutting wheel, then you must quickly remove the workpiece, freeing the disc from contact. If you neglect this recommendation, the motor on the angle grinder may burn out.

Making a circular grinder with your own hands is not difficult, and to achieve the result you will need a minimum of investment and a maximum of imagination. The finished tool can be used for sawing boards, beams, logs, fiberboard, chipboard and plywood. With such a household assistant, you can quickly eliminate the need to use a hand hacksaw.

Grinder chainsaw: attachments, homemade products, alterations

The desire to improve an existing tool comes for a reason. The main goal of such an experiment is to save money. Indeed, why buy several tools if you can use different attachments and make a multifunctional tool.

The grinder is known to every household homeowner, because with its help you can cut metal, stone, and polish the surface. But trees cannot be cut with such a device; difficulties arise due to the small diameter of the disk. So craftsmen come up with various attachments that make working in the garden much easier.

Circular saw design

The design of a homemade circular saw includes the following main elements:

Engine

The optimal choice of drive for the machine is an angle grinder engine with a power of about 1 kW. The angle grinder comes with clamps that allow you to secure it to the frame.

The engine of the tool has high speeds and can operate for a long time without interruption. It is recommended to choose an angle grinder that has high power, a durable gearbox and is equipped with a soft start function.

Sliding stop

It consists of several metal corners located on both sides of the saw blade. The lower edges of the sliding fence are rounded to improve the ease of use of the saw.

Axial handle

It ensures a stable position of the circular saw. Made from metal rod. There are holes at its ends. The handle is attached to the circular using fasteners.

Adjustment rod

Allows you to adjust the cutting depth. It is made of steel rod with a diameter of 5-6 mm. One end of the workpiece is bent into a loop shape and secured with front bolts. The shank of the rod has a thread into which the nuts are screwed.

Gearbox

To operate a circular saw efficiently, a system of pulleys and a belt is used. It is necessary to ensure the disk rotation speed is approximately 6,500-7,200 rpm. You should choose two disks with different diameters: for one it is equal to 0.7 of the diameter of the other.

If a belt drive is used, it is recommended to provide a proper tension system: the angle grinder is rigidly attached to the frame, and the working surface with the shaft is fixed after installing the belt.